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When Prefect Joseph Ratzinger<\/strong> published “Dominus Jesus”, he shook religious relativism<\/strong> and (false) ecumenism. On August 6, 2000, the Church upheld its Catholic identity<\/strong> without undermining interreligious dialogue<\/strong>.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On August 6, 2000, Joseph Ratzinger<\/strong><\/mark> disrupted many people\u2019s peace of mind.<\/p>\n Exactly twenty-five years ago, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith<\/strong>, under the skilled leadership of the future Benedict XVI, released the “Dominus Iesus<\/a>“<\/i><\/strong>, sparking fierce backlash<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Controversy erupted\u2014despite the absence of social media<\/strong>: today, the fallout would likely have been devastating.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Card. Ratzinger had the courage to firmly reaffirm<\/strong> what the Church has always believed: that Jesus Christ is the sole Saviour of humanity, and that the Catholic Church<\/strong> fully embodies the Church He founded.<\/p>\n This was no doctrinal innovation. There was nothing \u201cnew\u201d<\/strong> in Dominus Iesus<\/em> for those familiar with the Church\u2019s Magisterium.<\/p>\n But the very need to restate Christ\u2019s salvific uniqueness and the indispensable role of the Church revealed just how deeply the theological and cultural climate had been permeated by a relativist-pluralist mindset<\/strong>, where every religion was seen as equally valid.<\/p>\n It must be said that at the time\u2014similarly to what has occurred under Pope Francis<\/strong>\u2014some actions by then Pope John Paul II<\/strong> gave the impression that the Catholic Church was conceding to relativism.<\/p>\n Notable examples include respectful and reciprocal meetings with leaders of other faiths, the famous 1999 Koran kiss<\/strong>, and above all, the 1986 interreligious gathering<\/strong> in Assisi.<\/p>\n It was likely this context that prompted the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (with John Paul II\u2019s approval!) to issue a radical clarification<\/strong>\u2014on ecumenism as well.<\/p>\n In that context, the declaration was a cold shower<\/strong>, a wake-up call, a challenge. So too was the Summary<\/a><\/i><\/strong> released a few months later by the former Holy Office, both explicitly approved by Saint John Paul II.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The heart of the document was simple yet explosive: Jesus Christ<\/strong> is the sole mediator between God and humanity, and salvation cannot occur apart from Him.<\/p>\n But the real target of the declaration was the relativist premise that no religion<\/strong> can claim the full truth, and that all<\/strong> religions, at best, share partial insights into divine truth.<\/p>\n As Dominus Iesus<\/i> described it: \u00aba relativistic attitude<\/strong> toward truth, according to which what is true for some would not be true for others\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n Thus, it reads: \u00abThere exists a single Church of Christ<\/strong>, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him\u00bb<\/i>, which \u00abis necessary for salvation<\/strong>\u00bb<\/i>, because Christ\u2014the mediator and the way to salvation\u2014\u00abhe is present to us in his body which is the Church\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These statements had an incendiary effect<\/strong> on public opinion at the time\u2014especially in the media\u2014and on the world in general.<\/p>\n Countless ecumenical representatives<\/strong> tore their robes, and for months, a flood of words<\/strong>, statements, and disavowals followed. But nothing was retracted.<\/p>\n One can only imagine what might have happened in today\u2019s social media era<\/strong>: a schism might have been the least of it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet read today, Dominus Iesus<\/i> carefully preserved<\/strong> the value of interreligious dialogue, repeatedly stressing that other religions<\/strong> may contain \u00abelements of truth and goodness\u00bb<\/i>, and that there is \u00abthe real possibility of salvation in Christ for all<\/strong>\u00bb<\/i>, even those not formally members of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n This is because \u00abthe salvation of Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace<\/strong> while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church, but enlightens them<\/strong> in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n God grants this grace \u00abthrough ways known to Him\u00bb<\/i>, but, the Congregation stressed, \u00ab it is clear that it would be contrary to the faith to consider the Church as one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other religions\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n Thus, other religions<\/strong> were not considered autonomous or equivalent paths to salvation. The Declaration reaffirmed \u00abthe Catholic faith<\/strong> regarding the full and complete revelation of the salvific mystery of God is given in Jesus Christ\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n Further, Protestant communities<\/strong> that \u00abhave not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery\u00bb<\/i> cannot be called \u201cChurches\u201d<\/strong> in the proper sense, as they lack apostolic succession and an adequate sacramental understanding. However, it was also stated that baptized individuals in those communities share \u00aba certain communion<\/strong>, albeit imperfect, with the Church\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n With his characteristic delicacy, Ratzinger<\/strong> further acknowledged \u00abthe elements of religiosity<\/strong> that are part of the Spirit\u2019s work in the hearts of people, in history, cultures, and religions\u00bb<\/i>, but did not refrain<\/strong> from adding that various religious traditions cannot \u00abbe attributed with divine origin<\/strong> and salvific efficacy, which are proper to Christian sacraments\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n Indeed, some rites rooted in superstition or other errors \u00abconstitute an obstacle to salvation<\/strong>\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n In conclusion, even amid the \u00absincere respect<\/strong>\u00bb<\/i> with which the Church views \u00abthe world\u2019s religions\u00bb<\/i>, the former Holy Office categorically rejected \u00abthat mentality of indifferentism characterized by a religious relativism<\/strong>, which leads to the belief that ‘one religion is as good as another\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n Finally quoting the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council<\/strong>, it reiterated that \u00abthis one true religion<\/strong> continues to exist in the Catholic and Apostolic Church, to which the Lord Jesus entrusted the task of spreading it among all people\u00bb<\/i>, who are called to seek the truth, \u00abespecially regarding God and His Church, and, once known, to embrace and hold it\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everything that might appear harsh or uncomfortable<\/strong> in the eyes of the modern world was restated as an act of fidelity to the truth. This was Ratzinger\u2019s true merit<\/strong>: he refused to be intimidated by outraged reactions or accusations of being \u201cclosed-minded\u201d or \u201cintolerant.\u201d<\/p>\n With a theologian\u2019s sobriety and a pastor\u2019s firmness, he sought to prevent interreligious dialogue from becoming a cultural surrender<\/strong>\u2014or worse, an abdication of revealed truth. Dialogue is possible and necessary, but not at the expense of truth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Church respects each person\u2019s freedom<\/strong> and every genuine search for God. But it cannot remain silent<\/strong> about what it has received: the proclamation that in Jesus Christ dwells bodily all the fullness of divinity.<\/p>\n As noted, the media uproar<\/strong> following the release of Dominus Iesus<\/em> was massive. Some spoke of a betrayal of the ecumenical journey, others feared a breakdown in interreligious relations.<\/p>\n Yet in hindsight, it is clear that the text was necessary<\/strong>. Not to create needless divisions, but to prevent harmful and damaging confusion.<\/p>\n There can be no true ecumenism, no interreligious dialogue, unless it starts from truth. Ironically, this has been reiterated by Pope Francis<\/strong> himself, who has also faced accusations of relativism for some of his conciliatory gestures and controversial interviews.<\/p>\n And yet, Francis<\/strong> once powerfully explained<\/a><\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n
\nRatzinger and Religious Relativism<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
“Dominus Iesus”: Christ Alone and the Catholic Church Alone<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The World\u2019s Reaction to “Dominus Iesus”<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The Church and the Value of Other Religions<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
True Ecumenism Begins with Catholic Identity<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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